NSW: Four major fires burning across the state

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2009
NSW: Four major fires burning across the state

SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP - Firefighters are battling four major bushfires across NSW, including
two on Sydney's outskirts, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) says.

No property is under immediate threat, but residents northwest of Sydney in Windsor
Downs and in Bringelly, in the city's southwest, have been placed on alert.

There are also major fires burning in the Upper Hunter region and southwest of Bundarra,
in the state's north.

Fire crews are preparing for tough days ahead, with hot and dry conditions expected
in much of the state.

A number of grass fires broke out on Sydney's outskirts on Wednesday as temperatures
reached the high 30s.

RFS spokesman Ben Shepherd said an air crane had been sent to help firefighters at
the Windsor Downs fire.

"At this stage it is still burning uncontained," he said late Wednesday afternoon.

"No property is directly under threat."

While the weather was hot, Mr Shepherd said winds were not too strong, but crews were
bracing for worse to come.

"It's not as bad as it potentially could be," he said of Wednesday's conditions.

"We are expecting a difficult day (on Thursday)."

Firefighters were starting to get the upper hand over the Bringelly blaze on Wednesday
afternoon, but there was still a long way to go to get it under control, Mr Shepherd said.

"The NSW Fire Brigade is standing by at properties there," he said.

"The fire front isn't actually impacting on homes, but the edge, or the flank of the
fire is quite close to homes."

Mr Shepherd said there were a number of fires were burning in the north of the state
and conditions were expected to deteriorate during the next two days.

"We are just working as quickly as we can to get some containment on them before we
move on to the warm, dry, windy weather."

AAP ct/evt/srp

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES NSW

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